I have been struggling lately with the bias i bring from America life. Things that are embedded into our culture, such as assuming that someone with no shoes/shirt on is poor and someone with a suit/tie on are typically from a middle-class family. Its just assumed that people in higher positions are the wealthiest of Americans, and the dirty jobs are left for the lower class. Call me shady, but if you really sit down and evaluate your own bias and opinions i think you would agree with me.
Today in our Youth Development class the trainer put so much into prospective concerning Grenada work culture. He said, "Grenadians are well dressed, well driven, poor people." It sounds so bizarre but incorporates just exactly the culture here. Women going to jobs at a grocery store, a bank, convenience store and the Ministry all wear the same outfits. Typically dressed in the full polyester suit from head to toe. I know it sounds crazy with the temperatures reaching near 100 degrees everyday, but its part of the culture. People think nothing of men wearing ties and suits to every job also.
But what is hidden as our trainer said, is the poverty that lies behind those suits, ties and dresses. Poverty is VERY well hidden here, but the statistics cant lie, saying over 30% percent of Grenadians are below the poverty line. Often times those are the execs going to work during the day, and home to a house with no running water and no food on the table.
So as i embark on my continued mission in Grenada, I'm learning to not take things at face value and certainly not judge a book by its cover. Some of the greatest leaders of Grenada have also been some of the poorest. I challenge all of you to take a deep look at the bias you have had in your own life. Next time you look at that person on the street remember each of them has a story, one that cant be judged by the cover.
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